Unofficial meet- Mayor & Councillors clash in MCD

The councillors conducted an unofficial meet in Municipal Corporation of Dehradun on Tuesday and met the mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ regarding the common problems in their wards. However, the meet turned into an argument as the mayor was not officially invited to the meeting.

It is important to mention here that no official or unofficial meeting had been conducted by the councillors so far after their election. This was the first time a meeting was conducted by the councillors to discuss the common problems in their wards and also to get introduced with each other. Introduction and basic knowledge of working was also arranged for the first-time councillors. However, the meeting turned into a clash between the mayor and the councillors as it was done without his knowledge.

BJP councillor Nandini Sharma said, “This is not the first time we are councillors in the MCD. The residents of our wards do not go to the mayor or to the officials but come to us. We are provided with minimal sources and then the mayor is not listening to us. In the tenure of six months so far, this is the first time we organised a meeting to meet each other especially the new councillors. We face different kinds of problems that we discuss with each other. We not only discuss problems but also hold protest in MCD. It is not always done with the mayor’s permission. I feel that this is not fair and we have the right to hold such a meeting.”

Another BJP councilor, Bhupendra Kathait said, “We organised an unofficial meeting to discuss our problems and solutions. We have all the rights to conduct an unofficial meet– it is not just a formality but also is very important for us. However, the mayor has raised a question at our working and position.”

Councillors also stated that the chaos created during the meeting is also because no workshop for the new councillors or an official meet for the councillors was conducted after their election. Regarding this the mayor, Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ said, “We were about to organise a workshop but the election model code of conduct was implemented.”

Councillors complain about improper sanitation

Councillors from various wards raised various civic issues with the municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey on Tuesday. They stated that the main problem faced in the various wards is the improper services provided by the MCD. Regarding this municipal commissioner said, “The issue of cleaning big and small drains in the various wards is in our knowledge. We have sent a letter to the election commission seeking permission to pass tenders for this task. As soon as the permission is granted we will start the work.”